According to Newsday, a 21-year-old college student "was killed when a drunken driver's SUV slammed head-on into his car, Nassau police said." Jason Shein, on Thanksgiving break from the University of Miami and a volunteer EMT, had been driving home in Farmingdale with three friends when the crash occurred shortly after midnight on Sunday. Of Shein's passengers, one was seriously injured and two others were treated and released from the hospital. The SUV's driver, Persi Esquivel, who was also treated for injuries, had apparently "crossed the double yellow line to pass another vehicle" and ending up hitting Shein's car. Esquivel was charged with manslaughter and 11 other charges; plus he had been "on probation from a previous drunken driving conviction."





Very sad amongst sad events this week.
A photo ran of this victim touching the
Babe Ruth memorial at the old Yankee stadium
just a short time ago.
Drunk driving is still not really
punished much in this country.
Of course, it's an SUV in the hands of a drinken killer. Terrific.
By the way, this is another tale of shame for Long Island. If this were Brooklyn, chances are Jason and his friends would have been able to take mass transit. Suburbs are awful.
When will the courts order jail time for multiple DWI arrests. Did Perci have his license suspended? If he was given a couple of months for the previous offenses he could have thought things over and a valuable citizen would still be alive.
Why is it that the drunk driver almost always seems to live in a DWI accident?
Sad story.
Always, always, always a drunk in an SUV!
Driving an SUV should require special licensing requirements -like a proven safe driving record. Or how about double the penalties for accidents involving an SUV?
#4- Because they're relaxed (i.e. DRUNK) when it happens. A relaxed body absorbs damage better than when tensed.
Yes all the more reason to require a special license class for SUVs and to charge them monthly rates for owning and operating something so large on our streets. That will cut down on the douchebags who buy it because they like having 'the biggest shit possible by law'
My condolences to the family of the victem.
Instead of blaming the SUV how about you blame the drunk driver?
Do you guys really think drunk driving is just restricted to SUV owners? Sadly, I can assure you that it isn't. The real problem here is that someone with a history of DWI was allowed to be on the road.
And not all SUVs are gigantic.
Toyota RAV4? Honda CRV? Acura RDX? Jeep Wrangler? Ford Escape?
Would you guys be calling for a ban on minivans if the douche was driving a Sienna? Or how about pickup trucks--which is what the Explorer (and most large bodied SUVs) is based on?
I say egg and key every SUV and hummer you see.
on probation for a previous drunk driving conviction and now he kills one and injures others... this fucker needs to be fast tracked to prison.
#10- Just because you don't agree with their lifestyle?
That makes sense.
Oh an SUV is a 'lifestyle choice' now? Is it going to be recognized as genetic in 2012 you think?
I don't understand why people charged with DWI don't have their ass whacked until they become sober or fall unconscious from the pain.
#13- In a sense, it is.
Just like how some folks go out and only buy hybrids now.
Or ride bicycles.
Not exactly rocket science, here.